Hey Everyone - I need some help. For the past year I've been leading a Prayer Group at Oakland Elementary School, the elementary school across the street from our church. It has been one of the best ministry opportunities and experiences I've ever had. Every Tuesday morning I arrive at Oakland a little before 7AM to set up and make coffee in the Media Center. We meet at 7:15AM - 15 minutes before the Teachers have to be in their class. We read a passage of scripture, take prayer requests, and then pray. Our church provides coffee, juice, and hot Krispy Kreme doughnuts (the "hot now" sign has you under it's spell). Immediately after we pray, I walk around the school, pass out the remaining doughnuts to the teachers and staff, and tell them to have a great day.

For just a minute I talk with the Teachers about their day, their class, their families, and their lives. I'm usually back at my office around 8AM. I then give their prayer requests to Prisca Denton, our Prayer Team leader, who emails their requests to her team. Many of the Teachers attend a church. Some do not. All of them are wonderful people who love teaching and their students. I look forward to speaking with each of them every week. I simply hope that as a result of our presence and influence it has been a positive testimony, not only for our church, but for Christ. And if any of the Teachers or students ever had a need, they would know where to turn.

Probably 20 different teachers have been to our little group over the past year, with about a dozen regularly attending. Each Teacher talks about how much they look forward to Tuesdays. For those in our group, it has been the best day of their week. For those who simply receive a doughnut and a word of encouragement, they talk about how much they look forward to Tuesdays as well. This past Tuesday I brought a cart from our church, loaded it with coffee, juice, and doughnuts (I even had "assorted" doughnuts) and wheeled it around the school. I also passed out a little gift to all the teachers. We gave them the little book, "Five Star Families" that we gave away on Mother's Day at our church. You would have thought they had won the lottery. Teachers are so grateful for any little expression of love.

This coming Tuesday is our last group meeting of the year. I have to admit that there are some days that 5:45AM comes a little early and the thought of not having to get up that early is very appealing. But truthfully, I will miss this group over the summer. Here's where you come in. I've been praying about something special to do for the Teachers and those in my group. Any ideas? If you have a suggestion or idea, please leave a comment. As we say here at Coastal, no idea is a bad idea.

Well, last week I wondered where everyone was and although this week was better, it was still Memorial Weekend and we had a lot of people that were gone. But we had several new families today and most of them came because someone invited them! Keep it up Coastal! Oh, we had another new family with us today - Jeremiah & Cyndi Brown! It was great to have them back! And if Jeremiah grows out his sideburns, he'll make a pretty good Elvis. I'll be whistling "Jail House Rock" all week.

Today was a pretty emotional service. Not only did my good friend C.W. come to church today, but he came forward. He asked for prayer to stay strong and stay on track. That's a prayer we all need. And he invited and brought friends! It was just one of those days where everything flowed together in a powerful way.

Today's message was "Lessons from the Wilderness." A few hightlights: God is never in a hurry. Grumbling and complaining is a big deal to God. God provides one day at a time. "Manna, it's GRRREAT!" Sometimes God just wants me to wait and enjoy His presence. What do I see when I look in the mirror? A grasshopper or a child of the King who can accomplish whatever He asks me to do through His power. It's so easy to think like a slave and forget we've been set free.

We only have two messages left in this series. We'll be fleshing out the next series this week. I'll be posting about it and promoting it later this week and this Sunday. It's going to be a lot of fun (very creative), a great opportunity to hit some timely subjects, and a great series to reach out to the community and invite friends.

From what I heard (I had a wedding late this afternoon and only caught the last inning), the annual WAVES vs. D.O.G.S. & Parent softball game was a lot of fun. Yes the WAVES Students won (I'm pretty sure money changed hands)! This Friday night WAVES welcomes the rising 6th graders into Student Ministry with the Lock-In and Summer Kickoff! Get your student and their friends there! This Saturday we'll be baptizing a group of people at Folly Beach County Park at 5PM. Don't miss it! Good Day. Good Day.

God is up to something big at Coastal! I've been saying that for months now. Little by little I've seen signs of God drawing people to Himself at our church. We've been praying, building relationships, inviting, and sharing. And we're starting, just starting to see the fruit of that labor.

On Tuesday on the way to Kiawah with the boys (see previous posts) I got a phone call. It was from my good friend C.W. I could tell something was different. First of all, I'm the one who usually calls C.W. But I could tell it in his voice. You see, I've known C.W. since I was 13 when my dad died. He is the one who invited me to Vacation Bible School. He is the one who invited me to Camp Edisto when I got saved. He is the one whose mom took me to church every Sunday. We were best friends. Read More...

I love my Men's Small Group! We meet on Wednesday mornings at 7AM at the church. We only meet for about 45-50 minutes. We simply talk about what's going on in our lives - work, marriage, family, kids, stuff of life. We read a short passage of scripture (right now we're reading through Romans). Then we pray. And then everyone heads off to work. Right now it's about 6 of us. But we just have so much fun together. We laugh a lot! And yes - we rag each other out (it's a guy thing). We've also prayed for each other and supported each other through problems at work, job changes, moves, illness, family struggles, and just about anything you can imagine. It's a great way to start the day. I look forward to it every week. If there are any men out there who are looking for a few good men to lock arms with and simply do life together, grow in their faith, and develop some good friends - join us on Wednesday mornings!

Went out to the Senior PGA Golf Tournament at Kiawah yesterday. I took my son Christopher, Josh & David Beam, and Josh Claude. We had a great time! It was the ProAm Tournament, which I found out meant that amateurs paid $4,000 each to play with a pro, the proceeds of which go to charity. It was a beautiful day - sunny and warm with a nice breeze. The setting and scenery at the Ocean Course is breathtaking. We went to the #1 tee and saw Fuzzy Zoellar, Mark O'Meara, and Tom Watson tee-off. We then walked over to the 9th hole and saw the approach and putt of Jay Haas and Mike Reid. As you know, from a spectator's standpoint, golf is 10 seconds of action and 15 minutes of waiting, which is way to long for four 10-13 year olds. So next we walked to Granstands at the 18th hole - wow - quite impressive! The boys probably enjoyed the driving range area the most - constant action. They also got a bunch of autographs there.

Two things stood out to me - other than just the pure beauty of the area and some might say the pure beauty of the pro swing. One - practice. Although these are obviously gifted individuals, it's still impressive to see them just tee it up and practice, practice, practice. Some of these guys have been golfing professionally for 30+ years and they still walk over to the putting green and driving range and practice shot after shot after shot.

The other thing that stood out to me is that after all these years and all their success, every so often, they still hit in the trees or the sand. Now granted, it still looks a lot prettier than when I do it and they definitely don't do it as often, but even the professionals could use a mulligan from time to time!

Wow - where was everyone today? Last week I kind of expected the attendance to be down, but then - bam - we had a pretty good crowd. Today, I knew we had some folks gone, but then the bottom dropped out. I will never figure out the ebb and flow of attendance. I guess the summer is here in Charleston. That said, if you're in town and not sick (please don't come if you're sick and don't bring your sick kids!), you are missing out when you're not here and so are we.

A few highlights from today - I feel like I say this all the time lately, but our Praise & Worship Team did a great job today! I will be whistling, humming, and singing "Low - Ri - Der" all week long! Love the harmonica playing Ranny! You were born "Old School!" When I was a freshman in Bible College, one of the dreaded required classes was Old Testament Survey. I loved my professor, but it was one of those classes that we all just kind of "suffered" through. Well, each week we are working diligently to make the Old Testament come alive for you. I have personally gotten so much out of this series. I hope it's been a blessing and an encouragement to you. Next week we'll be looking at some of the lessons that are learned in the wilderness. Also, we'll be introducing our Summer Series soon! It's going to be great!

Hey, this was pretty cool - one of our guests at church today is playing in the Senior PGA Championship this week at Kiawah's Ocean Course. His name is Chris Starkjohann and his wife Tracy is his caddy - such a sweet couple! They found our church on the internet and came. I impressed them with my extensive knowledge of the game of golf and offered a few pointers. Pause. You can now pick yourself off of the floor. If you've ever been golfing with me (that in itself is difficult since I only golf about twice a year), you know how funny that is. You would think that someone with literally as big a head that I have, that actually keeping it down when I swing wouldn't be so difficult. Truthfully, since I don't take myself so seriously, I enjoy whacking things, I love hanging out friends and making new ones, and Charleston has some of the most beautiful golf courses around, I actually enjoy playing golf when I go. And it's always an ego booster for the people I play with. But what we did talk about was how great it is to have churches all over the country that love God, love people, and proclaim His word. They also mentioned that being at Coastal today reminded them about the people in their own lives that they needed to pray for and reach out to. You see Coastal, what God is doing here is having an impact in people and places all over. They also blessed me with some passes for the Tournament. Give me a call - would love take some folks this week to Kiawah! I am blessed to be a blessing.

Well that's about it. Don't forget to follow Eddie Evans and his race to Bermuda. Keep him in your prayers. You can track his progress here. Jeremiah and Cyndi get back late tonight. I've missed them. Glad to have them back. Can't wait to see the pictures. Low-Ri-Der!

Tomorrow at noon, a guy from our church, Eddie Evans, takes off from the Charleston Harbor to compete in the Charleston to Bermuda Race 2007. His boat is called "Naut-on-Call." You can track his progress and learn more about the race on their website. He'll be checking in every morning by satellite phone to his mom (aahhh). He'll sail to Bermuda and back and should be gone about two weeks. Let's keep him in our prayers! Okay, the real reason I'm blogging about this - this is the most beautiful sailboat I've ever seen! Go Tigers!

This has been a great week! On Tuesday morning I had my Oakland Elementary School Prayer Group. We've only got 4 more weeks until school is out and our Group is over for the Summer. I'm going to miss it. It's been a great experience. On Tuesday afternoon I met with a couple I'm going to be marrying in the Fall. In fact, they came to church on Sunday. I asked them how they enjoyed Coastal. Lynn said, "I didn't even feel like I'd been to church." Now I have to admit that when I first heard that, I thought, "Oh no, here we go. What was it? What's your complaint? The music, the casual dress, the decorations?" But then she said, "I grew up Catholic. I thought you just go to church to get beat up." Wow! They said it was different - but a good different and they will be back.

And then on Wednesday afternoon I met with Justin who on Sunday checked on his Connect Card that he wanted to talk to someone about being a follower of Christ. Guess what Coastal? On Wednesday afternoon, Justin gave his life to Christ! He became a Christ follower! He grew up going to church as a kid with his family, but never personally gave his life to Christ. As a teenager and young adult, like many guys, he walked away from the church and the Lord. But now with a fiance and a child, he was searching.

Well, in the meantime here at Coastal, I've been turning up the heat, challenging you to get serious about reaching out to people - praying and inviting. Matt Beam began inviting people at work to our Easter Service. No takers. And then Justin, who works with Matt, comes up to him and asks him about his church. Is that amazing or what? Is that not a great example of God drawing people to Himself and His church? Coastal, God grows His church, but He does it through people and churches who are praying, searching, building relationships, and inviting people. Justin and his fiance come to church on Easter and never stop coming. They get involved in Jeremiah and Cyndi's Small Group. Very quickly they connect with Andy and Miranda in their Small Group. Can you see God moving?

Justin told me that at first, he thought he was okay because he was cleaning up his life and making a few changes, but then as he started coming to Coastal, he learned that didn't make him a Christian. He was learning that it was about a personal relationship of faith and trust. It almost sounded too easy, too good to be true. And there in my office at about 5:30 Justin crossed the line of faith. He put his faith in Jesus Christ and asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins and be his Savior and Lord. PRAISE GOD! Coastal that's what life is all about! That's why we do what we do! That's why we talk about growing! That's why we talk about making room for one more and one more and one more! That's why we talk about going to two services. And when we go to two services we'll be planning a third. And then we'll add services on Saturday. And in the meantime we'll be making plans for another building. That's why church is not about you or me and your comfort and your preferences and your likes or dislikes. It is about doing whatever it takes, giving whatever it takes, sacrificing whatever it takes to charge the very gates of Hell and rescue as many people as we can with the Gospel of Jesus Christ! God is up to something here Coastal! Can you feel it? Can you see it? I love what we do! See you on Sunday! Hold on tight!

These are street interviews in Chicago where people were asked their opinion of "Jesus" and then of "Christians." Very interesting responses. Do you think we would we get the same response here in the South? In Charleston, SC? I'm not sure. The question that came to my mind was - what are people's reaction to me and my faith? To Coastal? What are the implications to the way we approach evangelism, of being salt and light? And what about you? What picture of Jesus and the church are you painting in your community, in your workplace?

Now before you chime in with, "But Chris, Jesus said they hated me before they hated you. Non-christians are going to be offended by the cross. The cross is foolishness to those who are perishing" - I know all that. But these are the very people we are called to love and reach. I think it's important and helpful to get a better understanding of the perception of those outside the church of those in the church. Maybe we can't change people's perception. But maybe, just maybe, if we spent more time loving and serving our community and building genuine redemptive relationships with those who don't know Christ (simply being Jesus), instead of treating people like they're the enemy, telling them what we're against, or pushing a particular political agenda, maybe things would be a little different. Sometimes we're our own worst enemy. Honestly, I just think we can do better. What do you think?

Well, I don't have much time for this Blog entry, Survivor Finale is less than an hour away! Janet said that for Mother's Day she wanted to do two things - take a Mother's Day nap and watch the Survivor Finale with the family. (By the way, we're pulling for Earl or Yau-Man.) We did do a few other things for Janet. I love my wife. She is the best Mom I could ever imagine. We are such a blessed family.

This has been a very busy weekend, but a very good one. On Friday I had a wedding. Early Saturday morning a bunch of guys started the process of putting up a fence around our playground. We did hit a few "snafu's" but it's going to look great when it's done. Thanks for all the hard work guys! And a special thank you goes to Ricky Spell. My son Christopher and I then headed down to Edisto Beach to baptize Brian Miller and his daughter Brooke. Brian and Ashley were going to be getting together with their family down at Edisto for Mother's Day weekend and Brian asked me if I wouldn't mind coming down to baptize them. Wouldn't mind? There is nothing I wouldn't do and no where I wouldn't go to be a part of life change. It was awesome getting to baptize a dad and his daughter with their family witnessing it all on the beach! Speaking of a Baptism at the Beach Coastal is going to be having one on Saturday, June 2nd, 5PM at Folly Beach County Park. It's going to be an awesome celebration that you won't want to miss! If you are thinking of getting baptized, there is no better opportunity than now!

Today was a lot of fun at Coastal. Our Band was "super cool," opening with the U2 song "One." In fact, they're now getting requests for the opening "Old School" song. We then had a "video welcome" from Jeremiah. He did a great job and it was very funny. One of today's highlights was the emotional Baby Dedication of Lily Rosemurie Schroder. Jennifer and Patrick are great examples of what our church is all about - friends inviting friends and then experiencing life change! I knew going into this weekend that there were going to be a lot of people out of town for Mother's Day, but we still had a pretty good crowd with first time guest and return guests. Last week in my message I challenged you to go on a "God Hunt." In my message today I talked about the importance of "turning aside" to see the presence and activity of God in every day life. We looked at Moses and the beginning of Exodus and how God is still our deliverer. Coastal, you don't have to look very far to see God's presence and His activity here at our church. Another one of today's highlights is one that you wouldn't have seen. Two men made decisions today on their Connect Cards. One wants to get together with me to talk about what it means to be a Christ follower. The other wants to follow Jesus by getting baptized on June 2nd. Woo-hoo! Coastal - that's what it's all about. This is why we do what we do. LIFE Change!

Well, I've got to go - the Survivor Finale is about to come on. I've got to get my "Survivor Snacks" ready. Jeremiah, if you're reading this sometime this week, turn your computer off and get back to your wife! We love you and thought about you and Cyndi often this weekend. Have a great Honeymoon! We can't wait to see the wedding pictures. (Now seriously, turn off your computer!) Mom, I love you! I am who I am today in large part because of you and your influence. Thank you! Happy Mother's Day!

I don't know if you saw this story that came out last week, but I've not been able to get it out of my mind. Let me briefly recap the story. Last Summer a 29 year old man, Dave Buschow, a former Air Force airman, died of dehydration. He was on day 2 of a 28 day survival expedition with Boulder Outdoor Survival School (BOSS) designed to test physical and mental toughness in the blazing heat of the Utah desert. He was one of 12 people who put down $3,175 for the experience. There were also 4 trained expert guides present. From all accounts it sounds like the typical survival-type experience that you've read about or maybe seen on the Discovery Channel. But it was obvious to all that Dave was struggling. Besides leg cramps, vomiting, slurred speech, and passing out, Dave was hallucinating.

But the reason I can't get the story out of my mind is that Dave dropped dead of thirst less than 100 yards from a pool of water! The staff, not understanding or responding to the gravity of Dave's situation, refused to bring him water. They didn't want to deny him the experience of making it on his own. But that's not the kicker of the story. The four staff persons apparently were carrying emergency water! They chose not to give it to him.

If that's not a picture of the church today - I don't know what is! Can't you see it? People are dying around us everyday desperately thirsting for something more - for Living Water! And there are pools of water (churches) on every street corner. But not only that - there are guides (Christians - you and me) equipped with Living Water everywhere. Instead of praying, building relationships, and inviting people to Coastal, we simply assume they'll make it on their own. We even criticize them and judge them for their current situation, their lack of water! And while figuratively in this world they're cramping, vomiting, and hallucinating, we've got the answer - Living Water! Or worse yet, we simply don't care. Now we say we care. We've even been trained in administering care. But we never share the Water or bring anyone to the Water. Instead we argue and complain over style, methods, and the inconvenience that change and more thirsty people bring.

Repent Church! It's time to wake up and see people and circumstances like God does! God must be staring down at His church wondering why we won't lead people to the Living Water, why we won't share the Living Water with those around us. His heart is breaking! I've said it before, "Let's pull out all the stops and do whatever it takes to reach this world for Christ." In other words, pull out the stops and LET THE WATER FLOW! The hard truth is that most of the time, we are the stops, preventing the flow of Living Water.

Revelation 7:16-17, "Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Let's get busy Coastal - people are dying of thirst!

Okay, let's be honest. How many of you enjoy doing your finances? I mean you look forward to keeping the checkbook, paying the bills, balancing the check book, and all the stuff (stress) that goes along with it. In most cases and in most families you simply do it because it has to get done. Or, in a marriage, you were the better suited one to do it (i.e. smarter one - thank you Janet). Now imagine that you weren't just doing the finances for your family, but for another family as well, and another family and another family and another family and their neighbors too (for free). You get the picture.

Mary Prince is my "Freak of the Week." She is the Treasurer here at Coastal. She is a bookkeeper by trade and a servant by heart. She has served in this capacity at Coastal for going on 3 years. Sunday afternoons when you're taking a nap, working in the yard, or watching the game, she comes back to the church and does the books - enters the giving, pays the bills, balances the checkbook, and a myriad of other things. Sunday night when you pick up your Student from WAVES she's still here finishing up and then locking up behind us. And like your finances at home, this is a job that does not go away. You can't take a break or get behind. And Mary has done all of this and more without complaining. In fact, she is one of the most gentle, kind, and loving people I have ever met.

And not only that, she's building a Team! She's recruited another "Freak" - Kelly Macklin. Kelly has been helping Mary on Sunday nights for several months. Now Kelly would be the first one to tell you that she's not a bookkeeper by trade. She's learning the ropes and the software. But like Mary, she's simply a loving servant. Her faithful service has greatly helped and encouraged Mary. Mary has jokingly said that ever since Kelly came on board our finances have improved. Now I tend to think it's because of solid Biblical teaching, a growing church, better communication of needs, and renewed vision, but either way we're not letting Kelly go! Neither of these ladies do what they do for me or even for you. They do it for God. But this dynamic duo definitely deserves our grateful appreciation! Leave a comment of thanks!

The band was rockin' today (Jr. & Wyatt have major chops)! I'm just loving this series, "Old School." After church my daughter Lydia commented that the families in Genesis really were messed up. She said they sounded like a Soap Opera. She's right. But like I said today, we are just as messed up. It is so easy to think that we can somehow manage our depravity, that our sin isn't as bad as someone else's. It's true - the real hero of Genesis is God. And He's still with us! I've read through Genesis many times, but this time I've been awestruck by His redemptive plan and how we today are a part of what was started then - how God is still wanting to bless all people through us. We still live in a fallen world but we've got the only real answer - Jesus. And if we really believe that, it will change the way we live and why we live. We are on a mission! We really have been blessed to be a blessing. So who are you blessing? I'm convinced that one of the best ways to reach out to people who are searching is to simply look to be a blessing to them - love them, serve them, be a friend. Remember they are not the enemy! Intercede - pray. Invest - build a genuine friendship. Invite - bring them to Coastal. Include - welcome them to our church, ministry, and community.

After church we had our Newcomers Lunch. I just love telling people our story! I love encouraging people to join us in this adventure. There is nothing greater on the planet to be a part of than the church! And there is no greater time to be a part of Coastal than now! Do you feel it? Can you sense it? You must, because week afer week for a couple of months now that's what I'm hearing from person after person. "Pastor Chris, I'm just sensing your renewed passion and vision." "Pastor Chris, these are exciting times. God is up to something here!" Honestly, it is so real to me I can taste it. It's like a big thick juicy steak that I can bite down on (or a crunchy piece of celery with humus for the vegetarians among us). The passion I feel for our vision of reaching out to people has never been greater or clearer. It's starting small right now, a visitor here, a new family there, but it's starting to build - lives are being forever changed. And we're goinig to see the fruit soon. Keep at it! Keep planting those seeds. Talk about our church out in the community. Keep inviting and blessing people!

Don't forget about your God Hunt this week. Look for God's presence and activity in your daily life. So often we're just like Jacob, "Surely the Lord is in this place and I was not aware of it." Well, this week let's live with a greater sense of an awareness of His presence and activity and then let's recognize it, "God is with me." And then let's worship and share it with someone else. God really does want to Rock your entire world! And then He wants you and I to Rock someone else's world! Join me in Rockin' this community for Jesus! We will not be distracted or diverted! We will not back down or give up! Who are you bringing with you to church on Sunday? Who are you praying for? I love you Coastal! I love being your Pastor! I love what I get to do!

I love cheese! It might just be a guy thing, but I really do - all kinds. In fact, there's a t-shirt I've got to have that reads, "I Love Cheeses!" My kids got me this t-shirt last Christmas from the same company (it has deep theological implications). Anyway, tonight I did a wedding and low and behold at the reception, there it was - A CASTLE OF CHEESE! It was awesome! I found myself mesmerized by it's spell. It's aroma was intoxicating. The only thing that might be better is a "Death Valley of Cheese." One day when we have the ground breaking for our Family Life Center, we need to have a "Family Life Center of Cheese" at the reception. "I love Cheeses yes I do! I love cheeses how bout you?" You can tell it's late (Janet is shaking her head). Don't miss Sunday - it's going to ROCK!

On Saturday, June 2nd, at 5PM, Coastal will have it's next "Baptism at the Beach!" We will be at the Folly Beach County Park. I absolutely love these services! I know we have a bunch of people who have been through our 101 Class who have indicated they need to and would like to be baptized. We also have several students who will be baptized. Join us for this special service. There's just something awesome about standing on the beach at the "edge of America," listening to the crash of the waves, walking out into the surf, burying the old man of sin into a powerful, salty, crashing foam of God's love. And then as you raise them to "walk in the newness of life," seeing and hearing a crowd of people cheering them on just sends chills down my spine every time! Baptism is the symbol and celebration of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ! It's the public profession of our faith in and commitment to Christ. It's the outward picture of the washing away of our sin and the new birth in Christ.

We've never lost anyone to jelly fish, stingrays, or sharks - yet! We did actually have to delay the time of a baptism service for 30 minutes once because of a shark sighting. How cool is that? Talk about faith! The way it works is once a shark is spotted, you have to wait 30 minutes without spotting one again. Not exactly very assuring, but somehow I've got a feeling God builds a powerful hedge of protection around us every time (I think Ranny, Wyatt, and David call them "Surfing Angels."). And now that I've successfully thinned out the "baptism onlookers," if you have any questions about baptism or would like to be baptized, please contact me. It's going to be AWESOME!

If you are new to Coastal or would like to make a greater connection, you are invited to our Newcomers Lunch immediately after church this Sunday, May 6th. Come enjoy good food, fellowship, listen to the story of how we got started, and hear our vision for the future. You will also have the chance to learn about ways you can get involved and what your next step is in making Coastal your home. Children welcome! Sign up here.

I've been blogging for almost three months now, but every 1st entry of every month I open up my blog and, "Aaaaahhhhh! Where are all my posts? What happened to all that work?" Well, every month they get neatly archived in the bottom left hand corner of this page. They're still there. You just have to click on the month and voila they appear! I know that's what happens. I know it's coming. But I still freak out for about 2 seconds. I know, I'm weird that way. The next thought is, "A blank page - what in the world will I say this month." Although most of you know that having something to say is not my problem (whether or not it's worth listening to or reading is another story).

But today, this 1st post of May, I had another thought. Every day is a new day with God. Every day is a fresh start - a new beginning, a clean slate. He takes my goofs, my mistakes, and my sins - and you know what He does, if I humbly come to Him asking for forgiveness and the power to change? He doesn't neatly archive them, ready to throw them up in my face when needed. Psalm 103:12, "as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." I Corinthians 13 reminds us that love keeps no records of wrongs. Isaiah 1:18, "No matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can remove it. I can make you as clean as freshly fallen snow (or a blank blogging page). Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you as white as wool." I need that reminder and that grace every day! What about you? And how are you at extending that kind of love and grace to the people around you? People need Jesus. People need truth and grace. Let's be a church that overflows with both.